(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Anaheim, CA - April 15, 2014 - The American Society for Quality Food, Drug and Cosmetic Division (ASQ) in collaboration with the Food Industry Business Roundtable, Southern California Institute of Food Technologists, Southern California Association of Food Protections and the Disneyland Resort will hold its first Quality and Safety Conference, June 11 - 13, at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. Experts from industry, academia and regulatory agencies will discuss the impact of changing rules covering food, ingredients, nutraceuticals, dietary supplements and medical foods.

According to Rosemarie Christopher, ASQ FDC Division West Coast Conference Chair, "The conference comes at a critical time for our profession as we work to comply with the many existing and new standards, as well as government requirements." She added that this is the first time the food industry is facing the same regulations as the cosmetic and drug industries. So far, many companies have laissez-faire response because they don't have enough information to understand compliance or lack of it.

"Drug and cosmetic companies have complied for years with FDA rules and know the penalties can be severe. Food, nutraceutical and supplement companies are often at a loss when it comes to compliance, dealing with recalls and allergens in their products," Christopher said. "We think this conference will be a turning point for them, helping to shape the future direction of their manufacturing and saving them millions of dollars in penalties."

In addition to the conference, a pre-conference refresher course on HACCP Auditor certification will review HACCP principles and systems, HACCP system implementation and maintenance, as well as auditing fundamentals, process and competencies.

ASQ is a global community of people dedicated to quality who share the ideas and tools that make the world work better. With millions of individual and organizational members of the community in 150 countries, ASQ has the reputation and reach to bring together the diverse quality champions who are transforming the world's corporations, organizations and communities to meet tomorrow's critical challenges. ASQ is headquartered in Milwaukee, with national service centers in China, India, Mexico and a regional service center in the United Arab Emirates. Learn more about ASQ's members, mission, technologies and training at asq.org.

About ASQ's Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Division

ASQ's Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FDC) Division provides resources for organizational excellence and quality leadership development to those working within regulated food, food additive, dietary supplement, pharmaceutical, OTC, cosmetic, personal care and allied industries. Through the FDC Division, professionals concerned with quality in their organizations have access to specialized training, information, benchmarking, and professional programs. Founded in 1960, the FDC Division works with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies worldwide. For more information about ASQ's Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Division, visit asq.org/fdc.

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